A Valentine to the Unseen by Eden

A Valentine to the Unseen by Eden - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

On Valentine’s Day, most people show love with teddy bears and cards, but I wondered how I could share love with complete strangers. That question deepened after I sat frozen, watching a documentary on period poverty, unable to look away from women describing impossible choices between food and dignity. Their stories stuck with me for days. I couldn’t stop thinking: how can I help restore dignity to those facing an invisible crisis?

Partnering with my school’s National Honor Society and a local nonprofit, I created and led the St. Valentine Project, a donation drive to combat period poverty among vulnerable women in Detroit. With only weeks to deliver, I designed posters, applied for grants, and pleaded my case to the entire school over the announcements. My efforts rallied a team of ten dedicated volunteers, together, we coordinated logistics, sorted and collected donations, and carefully decorated personalized valentines. The challenges were real: tight deadlines, transportation hurdles, and late nights, but our shared commitment kept us going.

On delivery day, we distributed over 700 hygiene products and 100 handmade valentines. Watching the women’s faces light up, I realized that we both supplied essentials and assured them that someone cared. One woman traced the words on her valentine and whispered, “Someone made this for me?” Her disbelief broke something open in me. I realized that impact isn’t measured by numbers, but by affirming personhood when it feels invisible.

That moment gave me more than perspective, it gave me direction. Now, I carry both the skills and the passion to keep building on that work: to organize communities, confront overlooked challenges, and design solutions that last beyond a single event. What began as a simple idea has become a commitment to shaping a future where compassion guides progress and no one is left unseen.